Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister's remarks added after the seventh paragraph (the first version was posted at 12:09)
Azerbaijan, Baku, April 26 / Trend, M. Aliyev /
Azerbaijan hopes that it will be possible to coordinate uncoordinated issues during the current meeting of the special working group on the preparation of the Convention on the Caspian Sea's legal status, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said on Tuesday addressing the meeting, which is underway in Baku today.
"After a summit of the Caspian states, which took place on Nov.18 in Baku, the working group held several meetings, which contributed to the current meeting. Today and tomorrow work will continue on the coordination of positions on the Convention, and it is also planned to discuss protocols and decisions taken at the Baku Summit," Khalafov said.
The Kazakh representative in the working group and Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Sarybai made a proposal to hold the next meeting of the working group in Astana in July.
In November 2003, the Caspian countries signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.
In July 1998 Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delineation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use.
On Nov. 29, 2001, and Feb. 27, 2003, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delineation of the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delineation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.
Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister in his speech also stressed that the Kazakh side suggests considering the issues of delimitation of the water area of the Caspian Sea and the coordination of sea borders. Stressing that the littoral countries are considering imposing a moratorium on sturgeon catching, Sarybai said that Kazakhstan offers a concept on this matter. The head of the Kazakh delegation also stressed the need to coordinate the draft agreement on the rational use, conservation and development of water resources of the Caspian Sea.